In Bond Fine Wine. 2025 Kumeu River Rays Road Chardonnay, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. White new zealand - white in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 94/100 (EL). Drinking window: 2026+. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Rays Road Chardonnay comes from the Hawke's Bay vineyard where there is more limestone.
Kumeu River is one of New Zealand’s benchmark producers and has earned a worldwide reputation for Chardonnays that regularly draw comparisons with top white Burgundy. Founded by the Brajkovich family, the estate combines cool-climate vineyards with Burgundian inspired winemaking to produce wines of remarkable purity, freshness and longevity. Chardonnay is the star, from the superb value Village and Estate Chardonnay through to the single vineyard Coddington, Hunting Hill and much feted Maté’s Vineyard. The range also includes elegant, cool-climate Pinot Noir, with an emphasis throughout on balance, precision and expression of site. The 2024 vintage is a particular highlight - small in quantity but exceptional in quality, producing beautifully concentrated, fresh and balanced wines. It is one of Kumeu River’s finest recent vintages and further evidence of why the estate is regarded among the New World’s great Chardonnay producers.
Jancis Robinson MW (JR) — 17/20 · JancisRobinson.com, 2026-09-11 · Drink 2026-2032
Tight, introvert nose – quite steely. Sleek and fresh with an obvious, though mild, oak corset. Quite structured. Lots to chew on and a little bit of passion-fruit flavour. Jancis Robinson Made like the Estate Chardonnay except that there may have been one or two new barrels. Nothing but their own newish plantings (from 2018) of Chardonnay now in this bottling, so no clone 95, just clone 15, 548…
Erin Larkin (EL) — 94/100 · The Wine Advocate, 2026-09-10 · Drink 2026 - 2040
The 2025 Rays Road Chardonnay comes from the Hawke's Bay vineyard, and the nose leads with creamed cashew, white peach, citrus pith and salted caper brine. The palate is creamy and sleek, with bright acidity and talcy phenolics through the open-weave finish. There's a lot of unspent power here—it feels raw and unbridled somehow. This is impressive and quite different from the other cuvées, though…
James Suckling (JS) — 96/100 · JamesSuckling.com, 2026-08-20 · Drink 2026+
Aromas of crushed stone and flint with subtle apple and transparency on the nose. Medium-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and a long, tangy finish. Vibrant and vivid chardonnay. Drink now. Screw cap.